Story Highlights

As homeowners stock up on candy and little goblins prepare their costumes for a night of trick or treating on Halloween, officials with a Canadian-based psychological testing firm turned their attention to superstitions and harbingers of bad luck..

In a world obsessed with technology, they acknowledged that it may be hard to understand why some people still believe in old wives’ tales.

(Photo: Dianne Stallings/Ruidoso News)

(Photo: Dianne Stallings/Ruidoso News)

(Photo: Dianne Stallings/Ruidoso News)

(Photo: Dianne Stallings/Ruidoso News)

But research recently published by Queendom shows that superstitions such as broken mirrors and ancient Egyptian curses, not only generate fear, they also continue to impact behavior and decisions.

According to researchers at Queendom, data analyzed from 14,958 people who took paranormal beliefs tests, generated interesting gender, age, and ethnic differences. They listed the top 10 superstitions still observed by participants to some degree.

Number 10 was stepping on cracks. They reported that one in four people surveyed believe the old nursery rhyme that stepping on a crack in the sidewalk could result in an injury to themselves or to their mother. The belief was highest among younger generations at 25 percent, but then decreased after the age of 40 to 19 percent. More women surveyed than men believed.

One out of four people quizzed thought it was bad luck for a black cat to cross their path, the ninth superstition noted. The belief was strongest among Asians at 34 percent and lowest among Caucasians at 25 percent. Again more women gave it credence than men, and more young people than older.

One in four people surveyed responded that they believed the number 13 is bad luck, with the strongest affirmation among Asians at 33 percent.and women at 31 percent.

Again, one in four people refuse to open an umbrella indoors, because they believe it is bad luck. "This superstitious belief was strongest among Native Americans at 37 percent, and lowest among Asians at 23 percent," the researchers wrote. About double the percentage of women held the belief compared to men.

Every fourth person tested said they throw a pinch of salt over the left shoulder to counter the evil associated with spilling salt. Native Americans posted at the highest number of 43 percent.​

A broken mirror was considered bad luck for a third of people surveyed, with the superstition was strongest among Jewish people and Native Americans at 36 percent, and lowest among Middle Easterners at 25 percent. As with the other superstitions, more women tended to believe.than men and fewer believed as they aged.​

Nearly half of the people surveyed said they believed that a curse awaits anyone who disturbs an ancient Egyptian tomb, a superstition especially strong among Middle Easterners at 55 percent.​

More than half of the people responded that they believe 7 is a lucky number, with Native Americans topping those surveyed at 62 percent..Fifty-eight percent of the women surveyed believed compared to 46 percent of the men.

To avoid “jinxing” themselves, every second person surveyed refused to tempt fate by discussing a future event or outcome before it happens. The superstition was strongest among Native Americans at 61 percent, and lowest among Asians at 54 percent. Sixty-one percent of the women surveyed held the belief compared to 44 percent of the men, and more young people were convinced than older.

More than half of the people surveyed stated they believed that thinking negative thoughts can cause bad things to happen, a superstition strongest among Native Americans surveyed at 67 percent, and lowest among Caucasians at 55 percent; highest among women at: 62 percent compared to men at 49 percent; and stronger among those 25 years of age to 29 at 61 percent, compared to 54 percent for people age 40 and older..

“The degree to which a person believes in superstitions is impacted by a number of factors,” Ilona Jerabek, president of PsychTests AIM Inc. Queendom's parent company, said. “For example, as we’ve already seen, women and younger age groups are more likely to abide by or show reverence to superstitions. Our research also reveals that superstitions are inversely correlated with socio-economic status and academic performance.

“One particularly interesting pattern we discovered relates to education level. While superstitious belief steadily decreased as people attained higher levels of education, we noticed a slight, but noticeable increase among those who have a (doctorate degree). Essentially, for six of the top ten superstitions (black cats, number 13, opening umbrellas indoors, spilling salt, breaking a mirror, ancient Egyptian curses), belief in them was actually higher among Ph.D. holders than those with a Master’s or a Bachelor’s degree.

“Although belief in the paranormal and superstitions in particular was much more prevalent in previous centuries, it’s clear from our study that some old habits, or in this case, old wives’ tales, don’t die all that easily.”

Queendom.com is a site that creates an interactive venue for self-exploration with a healthy dose of fun, according to the release from the company about superstitions. PsychTests AIM Inc. appeared on the internet in 1996. It provides psychological assessment products and services to human resource personnel, therapists, academics, researchers and a host of other professionals around the world. The company’s research division, Plumeus Inc., is supported in part by Research and Development Tax Credit awarded by Industry Canada, according to information from the company.